Wind Up Toys
by Split-Psychosis
Summary: If only he could find the key...Maybe then he'd see him tick. MelloxNear


**Title: **Wind-Up Toys

**Warnings: **None really...Just a kiddy Mello thinking slightly twisted things about Near.

**Disclamer: **No, obviously I don't own Death Note.

**Authors Note: **Hello to all who might be reading this. This was just an idea that struck me at 2 AM in the morning and I just had to write it down, resulting in the drabble you have before you. Hehe it was fun to write and I find it's strangely fitting for the two.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Wind-Up Toys

Today was like any other for Mello as he sat up against one of the pastel painted walls in the common room, munching on a chocolate bar, the sweet making a satisfying crunch underneath his teeth. Matt was hunched up, sitting to the side of him as his thumbs pressed eagerly on the portable game, muttering snide comments under his breath about the boss he was currently facing. The blond didn't pay too much attention to him though as his eyes roamed the common room, sucking on the chocolaty treat in his hand. No, his attention wasn't on the goggled gamer, who was now ecstatically mashing the buttons on the electronic device in a desperate attempt to save his party from a total Game Over.

Yes, Mello's focus was somewhere else.

Directed at something much more interesting and infuriating than any game or toy could be to him.

Someone who, when he thought about it was much more toy like than he had noticed or wanted to admit.

Near.

The fair boy was sitting amongst a pile of his fellow brethren, plastic planes, trucks and other amusements scattered around his white form, pale fingers delicately fumbling with something that, when turned a certain way, would glint and reflect the sunlight, which was streaming through the large glass windows, ever so slightly.

Something metal - tin to be precise, that is if one cared to pay attention to detail.

The material was not what spiked his interest in the toy Near was playing with. No, it what was sticking out of the tin robot's back, what those ever so thin but careful fingers were twisting –

A key.

A vital asset if one was to wish their clockwork toy to work and spring forth with life.

It was amusing to note just how similar Near was to a wind-up toy, only, unlike the one in his hands, was devoid of a key, having misplaced it long ago. Just sitting there wordlessly, encircled by playthings as if waiting for someone to come along with his long lost key, brush away the dull dust from his eyes and wind him up again, enabling the pale figure to move and gesture with life, no matter how short lived the change would be.

Sneering Mello picked himself up from the cool tiled floor moving ever so slowly towards Near, ignoring Matt as he cast the blond a wary look before his attention was recaptured by the videogame in his hands.

As he continued on his path towards the quiet boy he couldn't help but smirk. One had to be careful when twisting the key, to avoid over winding the toy lest it break. However this was the least of Mello's concerns. He'd continue to turn the key in Near's back until it would twist no longer, until the gear's in the boy's mind cracked and snapped with wear.

Until his little clockwork toy reacted.

No, Mello wasn't worried about breaking the toy in front of him.

He was looking _forward_ to it.

If only he could find the key…

"What is it Mello?"

An ever so familiar voice jolted him from his thoughts, his eyes wandering downward to the source of the inquiry. Near was still fiddling with the toy in his hands, the key jutting out of the red tin robot's back

"Oh nothing."

His reply was airy, his tone mocking as he took another bite of his chocolate bar, shards of the sweet falling to the floor as he eyed the metal toy.

"By the way Near…"

He leaned down beside the boy, letting his index finger trail ever so lightly down the back of Near's hand before pointing it at the backside of the metal toy.

"You have to turn the key the other way."

"…"

Empty eyes looked up from pale hands, fingers hesitating before Near reluctantly twisted the key in the opposite direction, setting the toy down only to have it spring to life, much to the mild confusion of the white clad boy and much to the delight of Mello, the red robot skittering off in wayward directions.

With a victorious smirk he straightened his back and turned on his heel to leave, teeth sinking satisfyingly into the chocolate delight. It had been a subtle reaction but it had been there none the less, as if the lost key had come into brief contact with the boy, leaving the toy in question slightly perplexed.

A soft chuckle slipped Mello's lips as he crushed the empty chocolate wrapper between his fingers as a sudden realization slowly dawned on the blond.

The key once lost was now found.

And oh, how fitting, Mello thought with a crazed grin, he had been the key from the start.


End file.
